A celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Queen's Coronation featuring the Earl of Lichfield

Monday, June 2nd, 2003

It was indeed a most delightful evening. The Gala which celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II, had indeed commenced on a high note, with champagne and the most exquisite of hor d' voures--so meticulously prepared. The conversation was quite captivating, as I learned of the achievements of some of the most opulent ladies and gentlemen whom I had the pleasure of interviewing.

The first person with whom I had spoken was one Mr. Thomas Harris, who is the Director of Trade & Investment for the British Government. He told me all about his experiences while holding this most important position, including his appointment, by the British Government, as Diplomat and Senior Representative of the English Government in New York City. Mr. Harris told me about his travels and how he loves vibrant cities, and explained to me the primary responsibility involved in holding this prestigious position, namely, to encourage American Investments in British exports. His comment, off the record, was that the extent of the British-American trade relationship is one that is virtually unmatched by any other two countries anywhere in the world. He loves big cities and travels four times per year. He has a "divided" family, as two of his sons reside in New York, the third residing in England. Hence, his family, as well as he, commutes several times per year.

Following this delightful interview with Mr. Harris, was an equally delightful interview with Mr. William Miller, the immediate past President of the St. Georges Society. In addition to informing me that the St. Georges Society elects a new President every two years, Mr. Miller explained to me all about the function(s) of the St. Georges Society, namely, to provide various types of assistance to individuals of British origin who may be in need of it, including, but not limited to, financial assistance. There are many beneficiaries who have been helped by the generosity of the St. Georges Society, which does a tremendous amount of charitable work on an annual basis. Mr. Miller is also the former Chairman of the English Speaking Union, an Anglo-American organization who's principle devotion is charitable work. He informed me that he has lived in New York since 1966, after having lived in Paris for a time. An interesting comment that Mr. Miller made to me was that the British community in New York has never been in better shape.

Following this was the presentation by Lord Lichfield of his immense collection of photographs, and his narration, which included a great deal of British humor. His collection includes photographs of a host of British Royal Family members, and royalty around the world, exclusive pictures of his cousin, her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II, celebrities such as Jane Seymour, Brook Shields, James Coburn, and many, many more. He is, no doubt, among the leading photographers around the world. His work was published in Vogue and Time Magazine.

I also had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Thomas Moore, Lord Dridestowe, of Devon, a most mercurial litigation attorney with degrees from both Yale and Harvard, who had been living in New York for quite some time. This gentleman had built on his degrees from both Yale and Harvard a litigation firm with enough impact to surely cause just about any defendant (along with their legal council) to, at the very least, break wind upon seeing him enter the courtroom.

xx I then had the pleasure of interviewing the current President of the St. Georges Society, one Sir Rodney Johnson, who was accompanied by his lovely spouse, Ms. Camellia Hellman, who is the President of the British Memorial Gardens Executive Committee. Sir. Johnson was born and raised in London, with his children born in Yorkshire. He was elected to the Presidency of the St. Georges Society in January of this year. This position, by the way, is entirely on a voluntary basis, Sir Johnson informed me that the St. Georges Society designates April 23 of every year as "St. George's Day", a day of celebration and fundraising for the works of this most devoted organization, which include helping British folk in the tri-state area with both financial and quality of life assistance.

As I mentioned before, the surroundings were most enjoyable, with an ever-changing array of hors d' ourves being circulated throughout the evening.. The pickled salmon was most delectable, and I enjoyed a nice munch on two delicious Walker English butter cookies, while an authentic Union Jack protruded from the pocket of my jacket.

I would like to thank Mr. John Shannon, the Executive Director for the St. George’s Society, for inviting us to this memorable event with other fellow British folks. I felt at home, being born Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Mr. Shannon had done a marvelous job in all facets of organizing this event. From the time I stepped in, he was always on the move, meeting, greeting and demonstrating a high degree of professionalism. I would like to really thank him for devoting the time to set up interviews for us with a number of the people there. I was quite surprised at his ability to coordinate so many different tasks.

Anyone interested in attending events for the St. Georges Society, and learning about the wonderful humanitarian work they do for the British community, should feel free to log onto their website: http://www.stgeorgessociety.org.

Abbey H. Muneer is the Executive Director of H.A.D. Organization of New York City, Inc., a world-famous athlete, author and, above all, a humanitarian. Abbey will write articles about charity events, benefits, fundraisers and galas which are raising money for humantiarian causes. If you are interested in having Abbey and one his staff members cover one of your charity events, benefits, fundraisers or galas, feel free to notify us one week in advance, at LNEvents@hadofnyc.org, or telephone us at (718) 507-7616, between the hours of 8:00am and 8:00pm e.s.t. and ask to speak to Abbey or Maria. If you would like more information, or would like to have Liberty News Online Magazine consult your next charitable event, please feel free to visit our website, at http://www.hadofnyc.org/store/success.html, email us at humanitarians@hadofnyc.org, or telephone our hotline, at (718) 507-7616, between the hours of 8:00am and 8:00pm e.s.t. (U.S.A.)